Snow Attachments Snow removal with back blade

[ThisldooFarm]

Help. Have 500 foot driveway. Six foot backblade. How do I keep from digging up gravel and/or blacktop? I have thought of 4x4 skids held on with U-bolts. Perhaps have shoes welded on. I have heard of using pipe, but I do not know how. How to get to bottom, without damaging surface. Any ideas for next winter. Got 125" this year.
Thanks

 

[ByronBob]

Fred, do you use the FEL at all for snow removal? It takes time but works

 

[fig]

Thisldoo,

I am no expert by far on removing snow, but all I did was reverse my blade. We didn't really get any snow this year, but last year we got about 16" at one time and that is what I did. I scraped about 700' of drive like that (from road all the way to neighbor behind me). Still left about 2 - 3" on ground, but you could drive on it and it did not dig up the rock. It just kind of pushed it out of the way. Just my 2 cents.

Fig

 

[JoshJ]

I agree with Fig. Spin ur blade around 180 degrees. May need to find weights to add to it as the new shape will give it a tendency to lift instead of dig in.

Some do add skids, as you mentioned. In fact this might be better if you are trying to get the snow to roll off the blade (which is harder with it backwards)

I would try plowing in reverse, and if it works out ok, turn ur blade around, drive forward, and give ur neck a break. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif If the snow doesnt move out of the way, might be time for skids

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Spin the blade around so that it is reversed, but at an angle so the snow pushes off to one side. Drive backwards pushing the snow in reverse.

Set the top link so that the blade does not rise up or cut down (that may take a bit of trial and error) but the blade should be pretty much plumb vertical when you are done adjusting the top link. Also make sure the blade is level side to side, when rotating a blade and setting it on an angle often one side will end up higher than the other. Adjust your turnbuckle on one of your lower link arms to compensate for this issue to get it level.

When you plow, if set properly, it should not dig or float. It should simply push the snow to one side. If you do not want it to tear up the gravel then don't lower it all the way down, your 3pt should allow you to hold the blade just above the gravel. If the gravel is smooth BEFORE winter sets in (HINT, HINT . . . groom the driveway & remove the potholes, washboards, tire ruts, etc before the snow falls) then you should not have any real problems if you set the blade about an inch above the surface.

When using a rear blade, you are well advised to plow your drive before the snow is as deep as the blade is tall. That may require you to get out and plow the drive a couple times during heavy storms, but it is easier than trying to plow when the snow comes over the top of the blade and you can't see the blade/ground well due to the spill over.

 

[ThisldooFarm]

I was thinking of notching across two 4x4's, perhaps 1 foot long to leave about 1 inch thickness, and using U-bolts over the top of the blade so that they would ride on the driveway. The ends could be curved up like a boat to float up over the gravel. Is there experience out there? Other ideas. I do use the FEL, but it cannot be angled to the side.
Thanks

 

[rcaretti]

I added a pair of shoes to the rear blade last fall for snow plowing. They worked pretty well overall, with much less gravel being plowed off the road, and a lot less looking back to see if the blade needs adjusted.

One slight negative is that the shoes leave somewhat deep grooves where they scrape the road surface.

 

[Henro]

In two words:

Gage wheels.

Skids might be fine too, but the wheels turn and that helps avoid skid marks.

In my experience gage wheels on a front facing blade works many times better than a reversed blade going forward without the gage wheels...

Actually gage wheels on the rear blade help in the dirt too... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Av8r3400]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ...Have 500 foot driveway... ...Got 125" this year...)</font>

Sounds like you need a snowblower, IMHO.

 

[Tractor_Jim_CT]

I have an old 42 inch manual blade that I use with my JD176 mower. The blade has 3 positions (left, center, and right) and it's a matter of getting off the John Deere tractor to easily move and lock the position one wants.

I often thought it would be neat if someone could design the same concept to attach to the FEL of the BX like a toothbar. The FEL holds up well with the ponding of the toothbar and to have a plow that did not require the FEL to be removed would probably make a bunch of BXers happy.

I think the pain of having to get off the tractor to change position of the blade would be much easier to deal with than
changing the FEL. The blade would mound with a couple of bolts like a toothbar.